Seized by the Lawman

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  His dark brows drew together. “Not upset. Terrified. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  There was an edge to him that she’d never seen before, but she guessed this was a side to him that most people didn’t see. “I have to do this. Not just for you and me, but our child, Nix. You know this is the easiest way to catch him.”

  Their gazes connected. Three seconds passed. “Take your shirt off.”

  “What?” They were alone in a tiny room in the Hawk’s building, but this wasn’t what she expected.

  “For the wire. It must go under your shirt. That’s why I volunteered for the job. I couldn’t let any of the other guys do it.”

  “Oh…okay.” She reached for the hem of her blouse and tugged it over her shoulders and dropped it at her feet. She automatically crossed her arms over her chest.

  He scratched his jaw, the scraping sound of his fingernails against beard made her nipples tingle. “Sunshine, you’re going to have to drop your arms so I can work.” There was a gruffness to his tone.

  Slowly moving her arms, she surveyed his expression. How a muscle in his jaw jerked and his lips twitched. He bent to his knees and she expected to feel his fingers move across her skin, but instead he pressed his large palm against her stomach. Melly threaded her fingers in his hair as she watched him touching her lovingly. How could such a tough man have such gentleness? His entire hand covered her belly. Although she only had a slight rounded stomach, she was definitely showing.

  “I can’t believe my baby is in there.” There was a hitch to his voice. “I feel like a bastard letting you do this. If anything happens…how will I forgive myself?”

  “It’s okay. If I knew there was a chance of getting hurt, something happening to the baby, I wouldn’t take the risk. But everything will be fine. I believe in you.”

  He looked up at her, his eyes beseeching. “How can you be sure? This is dangerous. Spider is dangerous.”

  “Are you certain it’s Spider?”

  “Damn certain.” He swallowed loudly. “I’m sure I can do this because I know you and my father are capable. I know I’m in good hands.” She cupped his jaw, feeling it twitch under her palm.

  “You trust me even though I’m a lawman?” One thick brow came up.

  She smiled. “We don’t choose who we care for.”

  Nix stood and dragged her into his arms, holding her tightly. There was something in his hold that swarmed her heart, made her feel wanted…loved. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been held like this since her mother. “Listen, when you come face to face with the bastard, keep plenty of space between you and him. Watch his every move and don’t underestimate him.” He pulled away, sweeping his knuckles gently across her cheek. “And take this.” He reached into his back pocket and held up the small pink container.

  “Mace? I don’t get a gun? A knife?”

  “We don’t send wired people in with guns and knives, sunshine. Just push this button.” He tapped the lid of the flask. “It’s small enough to hide in your bra, tucked under one breast, but be careful not to spray yourself.”

  “I think I can handle it.”

  “I’m sure you can.”

  She hid the mace in the cup of her bra and he went to work on the electronic device. Melly put her shirt back on, but since it was too tight and the chance that Spider would see it, Nix found one of his shirts from his locker and she dragged it on too, inhaling his masculine scent lingering on the fabric. Knotting the material at her waist, she checked herself in the mirror and the wires under her clothing were completely hidden.

  A soft knock on the door made her jerk. Nix gave her a reassuring smile and opened the door. “Did you get the warrant for the tap?”

  “Got it. We’re ready to roll,” Riddle said.

  Nix looked at Melly. He gave her a nod. “Ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Chapter 20

  NIX GLANCED AT his watch. Spider was five minutes late.

  Time seemed to stand still as Nix waited in the hidden spot of the brush. He glanced ten feet away where Jamison was flat on his stomach. Nix hated that they couldn’t just arrest Spider when he showed up, but they needed to get the incriminating evidence against him to seal the case. It was maddening and annoying. Melly was supposed to sit in her vehicle until he showed up, but as far as Nix was concerned, she was a sitting duck. Although he and his team were close, they had to stay back at a safe enough distance so they wouldn’t be spotted.

  “This is fucking crazy,” he mumbled. “Where the hell is the fucktard?”

  Jamison looked up, nodding. “The shithead wants the money. He’ll be here.”

  Nix rubbed his chin. He’d had his jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth hurt. He tried to keep his head on straight, focused on the mission, but couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything but Melly. His team had suggested that he sit this one out, but there was no way in hell he could have stayed back and not played a front role in catching the bastard. He trusted his men, but he had to be here to make sure not one hair was hurt on Melly’s head. They’d gone over the plan twice and her safety was of utmost importance. Carson made it clear… get the information and get her out of there.

  It would take a lot of constraint for Nix not to physically hurt Spider. To know how he’d scared Melly made Nix’s protective side grow by leaps and bounds. Spider wanted revenge because Nix had put him away after a drug bust. Just because the asshole didn’t have the drugs in his hands when he was busted didn’t mean he wasn’t guilty. He was a drug dealer and getting him off the streets had hopefully saved lives. Nix didn’t regret it, not a sliver. The only thing he regretted was not being on his toes. One wrong move from Spider and he’d die.

  As if Jamison could read Nix’s mind, he growled, “I know this is hard, Cade. I’d be the same way if my girl was here doing this. But you know the drill, man. Under no circumstances do we go in using lethal procedures. We use nonlethal to take him down.”

  “Sure,” Nix grumbled. “We both know he’ll have a gun. Real bullets. Not for a minute do I think he plans on letting Melly live.”

  “We’ll get to her. Don’t worry. We’re trained for this shit. That asswipe will lose. But to keep the government off our asses, we must do this by the book. Killing the bastard is too easy. There’s only one of him and there are five of us. Use lethal and we’ll be accused of stomping an ant.”

  Nix hated it, but Jamison was right. The elite team prided themselves in taking down criminals with the most minimal efforts necessary. They could get pissed off, but they never lost their control. Always staying calm was what made them logical and good at their jobs. They were the best of the best in special forces. These were the men he’d want coming to find him if he was in Melly’s situation. “Copy that.”

  “Remember, rubber bullets are just as effective.”

  “Let’s make sure Melly is in and out,” Nix said in a low, menacing voice. A flash of light made Nix hunker down. From his position he could see the dark vehicle pull in. “Looks like our target finally decided to show.”

  Jamison gave his thumbs up and steadied his rifle. Nix did the same.

  ~~~**~~~

  Melly saw the headlights. Her stomach twisted, but she inhaled, keeping her nerves in check. She touched the mace vestibule in her bra just for safety measuresand slid out of the driver’s side of her Lexus. She watched the oncoming vehicle pull up along the edge of the woods, shut off the lights and then the engine. Melly knew she had nothing to worry about. Nix would take care of her. “It’s him,”’ she whispered, hoping the men could hear her. She guessed Nix was going crazy as this was unfolding and she almost felt sorry for him.

  Squeezing the handle of the case that held the fake bills, she repeated the safe word “elephant” in her head. If at any time she felt unsafe, she could say the word and the men would come rushing in.

  The driver’s door swung open and a flashlight was shone in her eyes. She lifted her hand to protect her eyes.
“Andy? Is that you?”

  He lowered the flashlight, focusing the beam of light on the ground. “Let’s cut the bullshit. My name isn’t Andy.”

  “Then what is it?”

  He laughed. Scumbag Cade will know in good time.” Spider wasn’t wearing his hat or his sunglasses which, although it was late enough in the evening, Melly knew what this meant. He planned on killing her, otherwise he wouldn’t want her to see his face. She got a good look of his blonde hair, beady eyes, and wide jaw. Acid rose in her throat, but she focused on the fact that Nix was out there, watching.

  “Got it?” Spider said in a low, intimidating tone.

  “All fifty grand as you asked for is here.” She gave the case a toss into the dirt. As expected, he bent, unzipped the case and fumbled through the money. Nix assured her the counterfeit bills could be passed off as real if Spider didn’t inspect it too closely. When he took out a stack of bills, Melly felt her stomach drop. Would he know it was fake?

  Several century-like seconds passed until he dropped the money back into the bag and stood. And then a smug grin crossed his expression. “I knew you could follow orders.”

  She swallowed, hoping her voice worked. “Now I need you to promise me that you’ll leave me and Nix alone. I followed through and so should you.” Her voice trembled.

  The man took several steps that brought him closer. Knowing this could bring the team out of hiding before they had the information, she said, “I’m okay. And you should be okay now too.”

  Spider was full of himself and his arrogant expression proved it. “I won today, bitch. That was the easiest fifty grand I’ve ever made.”

  “You’re not answering my question. You said if I brought you the money, Nix and I would be safe.”

  “You can’t honestly think you’re going to walk away from this scott-free, do you? This isn’t enough to make that piss-ant Cade pay for what he did to me. I’m going to slice your throat and enjoy watching that bastard lawman suffer each day as I have,” he sneered.

  “And you can’t honestly think you’re going to get away with this, do you? That’d be like missing the elephant in the room.”

  Realization swept over his scrunched features. He pulled his knife from his pocket as he grabbed Melly’s arm tight. She tried to pull away, but he held her in his grasp and her knees went weak. The knife came up and she sidestepped him, the blade missing the target and sliced into her arm. About the same time she heard noises, yells and a flash, followed by Spider being thrown off his feet and onto the ground. Blood splattered his chest and a droplet of crimson rolled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were open, but death had snatched his last breath.

  She heard a voice, but they came through a tunnel as her vision became blurry. Nix was next to her, holding her, his hand pressing hard against her arm as he yelled, “Get a fucking ambulance.”

  “He’s dead though,” she heard herself whisper, but it seemed far away.

  “Not for him, sunshine.” There was a nervous cadence to Nix’s voice. He picked her up into his arms and she watched as the team shuffled around her. “Did you call for an ambulance?”

  “Got it!” One of the men said from somewhere in the background.

  “Wh-what happened?” Her vision grew fuzzier. Then she felt pain and looked down at the blood gushing from her arm as she was placed in someone’s car. She watched in a daze as Nix tore off his shirt and tied it around her arm, and then she realized she must have been bleeding bad. “Nix?”

  “It’s okay, sunshine. It’s okay. You’ll be fine. You’re so brave, baby. We got the guy thanks to you.” Although he appeared calm, the trembling in his voice warned her the wound was serious. “Where is that fucking ambulance?”

  And then her father appeared over Nix’s shoulder. He was as pale as a ghost. “Dad? What are you doing here?”

  “For you, sweetheart. You hang in there.”

  Nix left her side and she wanted to complain, but she couldn’t find her voice. She heard him say through her brain fog, “We don’t have time to wait for the paramedics. I’m taking her myself. I’ll get her there.”

  “I’m following,” her father said.

  And then she seemed to drift away into a dreamlike trance and a warmth spread over her.

  Chapter 21

  “IT’S ONLY STITCHES. I’ll be fine.” Melly waved off both Nix and her father as each attempted to wait on her hand and foot. A week had passed since the incident with Spider. Nix had gotten her to the hospital in time where they were able to stop the profuse bleeding, stitch up the deep wound and bandage it. The baby was fine…everyone was fine. Nix had been staying with her and taking care of her—almost too good of care.

  The men were still searching for Claire, but she was gone without a trace. Nix was right when he suggested she’d learned a thing or two by working with the Hawks. They believed she wouldn’t come back, especially knowing Spider was gone. They’d found out everything…even the letters she and Spider had written to each other while he was in prison. In them, she buried herself with guilt. Although Melly wanted the woman to pay for her role, she also felt a sense of understanding why Claire had partaken in the act. Growing up in an orphanage without nurturing and love, and being mistreated early on, she had found herself alone. Spider had manipulated her into believing he was the only man who would ever love her. Someone who craved love would gravitate toward anyone, even someone like Spider.

  Today was the first day she’d been out and about, but her father had asked Melly and Nix to come for dinner because he planned to sign over Shy Brooke.

  He sat down at the head of the table and shook the papers in his hand. “I’ve kept this for far too long. Now I’m going to do what I should have done years ago and sign over the deed.” He patted his empty pocket. “Darn. I forgot the pen.”

  “I’ll go get one,” she said.

  “No, I will.” Nix started to stand but she shook her head.

  “Let me. I need to be up and moving. There’s nothing wrong with my legs.”

  Nix nodded and smiled. He knew arguing would get him nowhere.

  Going to her father’s office, she grabbed a pen from the holder and started to turn when a letter on his desk caught her attention. It was the words, “incurable cancer” that made her almost fall.

  ~~~**~~~

  Nix was laughing with Carson about something when he saw Melly step back into the dining room. She was white and held a piece of paper. “What’s wrong?” Nix asked.

  Her pale gaze stayed on Carson who was now standing, looking ragged himself. “Melly…?”

  “Dad? What is this?” She dropped the paper onto the table as her bottom lip trembled.

  Following suit, Nix also stood, realizing something was very wrong.

  “I-I wanted to tell you, but the incident with Spider and you recovering all was more important. I didn’t want to bother you,” Carson said.

  “The letter is dated five months ago. Five. Months! You have cancer, Dad. How could you not tell me?”

  Nix’s heart skipped a beat. He wanted to go to her, to hold her, as she realized how sick her dad was. Nix couldn’t imagine hearing the same news about one of his parents.

  “No time seemed like the right time.” Carson lowered his gaze. “Now I know you’ll be happy when I’m gone. That’s all I wanted.”

  “Wait…what are you saying?” Her eyes widened. “Tell me, Dad, and don’t leave out anything.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know.”

  “Honesty is best.”

  “I knew you and Nix had met…”

  Her brows scrunched. “You had me followed?” she snapped.

  He gave his head a shake. “No, I had Nix followed. It’s protocol for a newbie. Jamison told me he saw you and Nix. I only wanted to give you two a shove…”

  “Are you telling me that you set this whole thing up, making Nix come to Shy Brooke, as a ploy to get us together?” She laughed but it fizzled.

  “It worked,
didn’t it? You two belong together.”

  She looked from each of them. “Dad, you can’t play cupid or master player of my life. And how is you having cancer, and not telling me, come into play?”

  “Just as I told Nix, I didn’t want you to know. I want to live life my way right up until the end.” Carson took a seat.

  Melly’s heated gaze came on Nix and he felt the penetration all the way into his bones. “You knew? All of this?” She swept a hand through the air.

  “Ahh, Melly, don’t be mad at Nix. I told him not to tell you,” Carson said.

  She turned her gaze onto her father. “Don’t you see, Dad? That’s the problem. You told him. Did you also tell him how to feel about me?”

  “Now wait a minute, Melly.” Nix took a step toward her, but she held up a hand to keep him away.

  “No, Nix. You listen. My dad is dying of cancer and you didn’t think to tell me. Think about how you’d feel. I can’t be with a man who has an allegiance to my father. I need someone who has loyalty to me. You two have been busy keeping secrets from me as if I can’t handle the truth. As far as I’m concerned, you two deserve each other.”

  “Melly?” Nix caught up to her at the door.

  She turned on him, nailing him with a piercing gaze. “Stop, Nix. I need time to absorb this. Don’t worry. You’ve done exactly what my father has asked you to do, now you’re off the hook.”

  “You’re angry. I understand, but you can’t believe my feelings were staged.”

  “I have no clue what to think, Nix. I could almost forgive you for going along with this scheme, but why didn’t you tell me about the cancer? This is not how I should have found out. I expected more from you. After all, you didn’t feel any restraint from going to Dad and telling him that I was pregnant. It sure seems you care more what he thinks than you do about my feelings.”

  He watched her leave and could do nothing but stand there, boots frozen to the floor and his heart breaking. And yet, he knew, she was completely right. She’d needed to trust him, and he’d let her down.